rubber tree

Rubber trees on a plantation near Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Strips of the lower bark have been shaved P. Morris/Ardea London

Natural rubber is made from the milky sap of plants. Many species of plant have sap that contains rubber, but the vast majority of commercially produced rubber comes from the rubber tree, a tropical tree native to the Amazon Basin in South America. Its scientific name is Hevea brasiliensis, and it belongs to the spurge family (Euphorbiaceae). Rubber trees are cultivated

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